


The Chronicles of Theryn Shadowhand

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Cursebreaker Saga [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Multi-User Dungeon
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Action/Adventure, Dimension Travel, Drama, Drow, Gen, Minor Character Death, Murder, Original Universe, Penguins, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 1998-01-01
Updated: 2003-05-08
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:58:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Theryn Shadowhand is an amoral half-drow sorceress who finds herself traveling the planes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rain of Stones

Life had not been easy for the dark elf woman Theryn Shadowhand. A mage of Keolah, Theryn had chosen to live away from her folk in order to more fully concentrate on the magic. Because of her fair skin, she was not easily identified as a dark elf. Her father had been a wood-elf ranger who was seduced by her mother and then killed. Theryn was the result of that pairing, a desperate attempt to keep the drow race alive by cross-breeding. Her people hoped that the curse of dark elven women to bear but one child would not afflict her due to her wood-elven blood. Although she had not yet mated and that was uncertain as yet, it was clear that she was free of at least part of the curse, by the fact that she, unlike most drow, could tolerate sunlight. Now she lived among Tihiro's elves just outside Stone Crossings. Even her magic could not be easily identified as being evil.

Singlehandedly, she devised a spell officially named Theryn's Rain of Stones. Receiving approval from the goddess Keolah to activize the words, the Rain of Stones became one of the most powerful offensive spells in the entire world of Doomreign--and Doomreign was famous for its offensive spells. In exchange for devising the spell, Keolah gifted her with Instant Recall, which allowed her to cast any spell of Keolah without consciously having to think about the words. She merely had to bring to mind the spell's effects, then tell her mouth and hands to perform the spell. 

When she brought Rain of Stones before the dark elves of Drowland, however, they rejected it and then, in a final stroke of arrogance, banished her, purging her name from the Drowstone at Chasm's Edge. Dejected and exiled, Theryn returned to Stone Crossings, where she learned through accident that Keolah still favored her, though she was starting to become mildly irritated with her banishment. From the icon, she was told that Keolah had not wished her background to become troublesome, instead of helpful. She wanted to grant a special favor to her, but the other gods were disapproving. It was only then that Theryn realized that her importance stretched beyond Rain of Stones. 

She set to wandering again, but she was not far into northern Tirist when she sensed a faint humming, both auditory and vibratory. Then she noticed a slight distortion of the air in front of her, and the trees were wavering as if in extreme heat. Before she knew it, her senses were overwhelmed and she lost consciousness. 

"You come through that Portal?" asked a voice at the edge of consciousness. 

Theryn forced herself fully awake, standing to face the possible opponent. "Who are you? What do you want?" 

"Why don't you answer those questions first?" said the languid man. 

The dark elf was taken aback, but she was too proud and stubborn to avoid proclaiming her birthright. "I am Theryn Shadowhand of Tirist. I want only to serve my goddess in any way I see fit and be free to practice my magic whenever I choose." 

"Tirist, you say? What world is that on?" he drawled. 

"Doomreign," she told him. "Are you telling me I'm on a different world?" 

He nodded. "Plane, actually. Wilderplane, to be exact. This is a farm just outside the realm of Seacliffs, where the Wind-Riders live." 

"I know about Wind-Riders," Theryn commented. "There were more than a few of them in Stone Crossings, where I used to live." She paused to consider the situation. "Is there any way back to Doomreign from here?" 

"There are several Portals to that world in the Wilderness," the farmer informed her. "But I wouldn't advise looking for one. You'd more than likely end up on some entirely different world, and be stuck there, since there aren't as many Portals on most worlds as in Wilderplane." He looked at her with an expression she couldn't immediately identify. "Besides, I'm sure a grey elf like you could find a niche anywhere you look. Try Seacliffs. They may need some new Riders, you know. They never turn down assistance." 

But Theryn shook her head. Even though she was half-drow, she still didn't like the idea of intentionally deceiving anyone, even through ommission. "I'm not a grey elf. My family name is Shadowhand. I'm a drow, a dark elf." 

"Well, you favor your father, then," commented the farmer. "Just go on to Seacliffs. They take drows, too. And tell them Ergo sent you!" 

She was already going, amazed and puzzled by the fact that the strange farmer called Ergo didn't recoil in horror as from a disease from her. Then she realized that this was indeed a different world, one that didn't play by the same rules as Doomreign. Perhaps in Wilderplane dark elves were an accepted part of society. 

Theryn quietly strode into the land of Seacliffs, reaching a city almost before she stepped onto the road. She could have sworn there was no city nearby, but was unfamiliar with the geography and it was foggy anyway. Shrugging it off, the drow entered the town. 

It did not appear to be unusual to her untrained eye, but there were fundamental differences that simply could not be explained, or often even noticed. People were walking freely in the streets. Not once did Theryn see anyone looking over their shoulder to make sure no rogues were tracking them. Not once did she see people even lock their doors. Once she saw a man walk completely unprotected into the middle of the street, counting gold coins in his hand. As she followed him in puzzlement, not a single thief took any interest in the man. He arrived unmolested at his home. Nothing else could have convinced her that this was truly a different world. The odd behavior of the people made it certain. 

"Would you like to buy a necklace, pretty elf?" 

She spun around and looked into the face of an unusually tall dwarf, who was nearly five feet tall. He held in his hand a beautiful silver necklace with a large green stone and smaller red stones. She was immediately attracted to it. "What kind of money is used here?" she asked tentatively. 

The dwarf shrugged. "Paper bills, silver and copper coins, like everywhere else. But we also accept alternative payment." 

Theryn checked her pockets and learned that she had no money. That was a definite sign that there were kender in this town. Perhaps everyone else simply had anti-theft spells. "Do you accept conjured money?" 

He shook his head. "Conjuring money is illegal." 

In which case, she was glad she asked first. Normally, she was uncaring about laws, but she was in a world whose laws she still needed to learn. "I'm a mage. Would a spell do as payment?" The necklace was perfect for a worshipper of Keolah, since it was made of the goddess's favorite metal and the stones--red and green--were her colors. 

"What kind of spell?" asked the dwarf. 

"Theryn's Rain of Stones?" she suggested. 

But the little man shook his head. "I've never heard of it, but it sounds illegal." 

"I'm not from this world. What all is illegal here?" she wondered. 

The dwarf put down the necklace and began to count on his fingers. "Any spell which harms more than one person, projectile weapons, poisons, Instant Death spells, and in some places casting a spell on an intelligent being without their permission." He looked at her sharply. "Where are you from?" 

"Doomreign. Things are very different there." But now she was beginning to get her ire up. According to the dwarf's description, Rain of Stones was definitely illegal here. "I have a very large repretoire of spells. What effect do you wish?" 

"Can you make my beard grow?" 

"Sorry." 

"How about changing my eye color?" 

"Ask a mage of Desirria," Theryn suggested. 

"I've always wanted a pet dog. Could you summon a dog?" 

She could summon a wolf, which she considered to be a dog anyway. "I sure can." 

"Okay then. How about that and a teleport to Kelletirandia, to pay for the necklace?" 

"I don't know how to teleport," she lied. She didn't want to use one of Tihiro's spells if she didn't have to. Though she occasionally liked his Invisibility spell and his numerous illusions, she was a bit wary about calling upon any god but her own. 

"Two dogs, then?" 

Theryn laughed. "If that's what you want, I can summon them. If you don't like the first one, I won't call the second." 

"Deal." 

" _Bhlurthrurl brirsntl_ ," Theryn chanted. " _Shraaurl uuff nmurtl_ " 

"What are you doing?" cried the dwarf, but Theryn was lost in her Instant Recall. 

" _Ntou nhae try phirsntl--_ " 

"She's trying to kill me!" screamed the dwarf. 

" _Ehnh nhee vriys tliynmurtl._ " 

Abruptly, a medium-sized wolf bounded into the square, padding eagerly up to Theryn. She knew that he would not attack unless she was attacked or she commanded him to. 

"Brother, this is your master," she told him, gesturing to the dwarf. "Obey him as you would I, brother." 

The wolf nodded his head and padded over to the dwarf, sitting himself down at the man's feet and lolling his tongue. The dwarf was puzzled, but he realized that he had misunderstood Theryn's intentions and petted the wolf. "He really is like a dog, isn't he?" 

"Technically, he is a dog," the dark elf shrugged. " _Bhlurthrurl brirsntl shraaurl uuff nmurtl ntou nhae try phirsntl ehnh nhee vriys tliynmurtl._ " 

A second wolf appeared, this one female. Theryn commanded her to obey the dwarf so long as he lived. Since the drow was a level seven mage, this would be followed through. Should the dwarf die before the wolves, they would return to Theryn. He offered her the necklace, but Theryn bowed her head, so he placed it over her silver hair. Her hair and the necklace were precisely the same color. 

"Why those awful summoning words, though?" wondered the dwarf. 

Theryn shrugged. "Those are just the words of Wolf Howl. I did not write them." 

"But don't wolves belong to Keolah?" inquired the stout man. 

"Yes, they do." 

"Yet they will obey me, even though I belong to Vesna?" 

"They will treat you as their master, their pack leader," Theryn explained. "I commanded them to do so. They will stay with you indefinitely, since I am a level seven mage of Keolah." 

"You are evil?" asked the dwarf unnecessarily. 

The drow sighed. "Yes, I am evil." 

"You are an elf, but you're not a dark elf by appearance, though you are a dark elf by alignment." 

"My mother was a drow," she told him. She had never made her background a secret when she was not among elves. "My name is Theryn Shadowhand." 

"Ah," nodded the dwarf. Then he looked to the wolves. "What are their names?" 

"Storm and Stress, huh? Appropriate names," he smiled. "Well, thank you, drow. I've been so lonely these past ten years in exile. Now I return home to Jentcar. If you are ever in Kasmarine, ask for Murgan Redfire."

With that, he walked away, the two wolves nipping playfully at his heels. The dwarf laughed and scampered on ahead, then found himself in a tumble of fur and rough licking tongues. He laughed, brushed himself off, and disappeared around a corner. 

Theryn found a wooden bench where she sat down to ponder what she was going to do in Wilderplane. Rain of Stones, her spell, was illegal here. What was she to do to protest that? Whenever she did not like the laws, she protested them, usually by doing precisely what the laws said not to do. In this way, the lawmakers could easily understand her point of view on the subject, and know that the laws needed changing. 

But what about Murgan the dwarf's mention of exile? Had they exiled him for breaking those laws? Had he used illegal weapons or spells? She had not sensed any magic about him, but he had clearly done something to earn exile. What had Murgan Redfire done to deserve exile? 

She was still puzzling over this when she was joined by an old man with a staff. He sat down on the bench as if he owned it then started rambling on and on about fireball spells. Theryn was by now fairly certain that Fireball was illegal here (which she would also remedy), but since he did not appear to be on the verge of casting one, apparently no laws were broken. 

"Excuse me, sir," Theryn said tentatively. "Do you need something?" 

"Bat guano," muttered the old man. 

"I don't have any bat guano. I'm not a mage of Vesna or a conjurer. I am a mage of Keolah." 

"Oh, so you're a magic-user too?" 

"Yes, would you like me to demonstrate? I have this wonderful spell called Rain of Stones that I've been itching to cast." She added quietly, "Ever since I learned it was illegal." 

He didn't hear that last statement, but seemed to give his approval. The dark elf stood up, looked around for a little stone, and found one smaller than her smallest fingertip. 

She placed the stone between her left thumb and forefinger. " _Shntoinh sruunm_ ," she chanted, the hum of magic filling her blood. " _Flehr ffrhuunh snxur_." Now a few people milling around started staring at her, wondering what she was about to do. " _Ghaiffain pluunm_ ," she intoned. " _Floizh dnur_." The gathered people increased in number, beginning to panic. She threw the stone into the white sky, causing a clap of thunder as the spell took effect. A brown cloud materialized, blocking the sky in a premature night. 

Theryn began the second verse, which would cause the stones to fall to the earth. " _Shntoinh sruunm_ ," she droned, exulting in the power she wielded. " _Phrurmheent sntlhonm_." The crowd started running away in panic, many trampling each other in a frantic attempt to get away. " _Thralnt ehnmsnuunm_." The square was empty of all who could still move except for the drow and the old man. " _Bhlaankain brhonm_ ," concluded Theryn, collapsing back onto the bench. 

Hundreds of pea-sized pebbles rained down upon the square, seeming to miraculously spare the two on the bench. Those who were still lying in range of the spell were pelted with the little rocks, a few of them dying in the process, some of them already dead from the fleeing crowd. Vendor's stalls were broken apart, exploding with the brown hail. Then, after less than a minute, the last of the stones fell plummeted to the earth, clearing the sky. When the spell's effect gave out, the conjured stones vanished, leaving only the destruction as evidence of Theryn's Rain of Stones being cast. 

The people who had fled began to filter back in to inspect the damage, some cautiously, some angrily racing forward, heedless of all caution. They were afraid of her, and angry at her, and sad at the loss of their merchandise. Theryn herself was so wearied by the use of so powerful a spell that she could hardly move, never mind resist the people carrying her away. She tried in vain to summon the strength to walk on her own, at least, but failed even in that. They placed her on the back of a burly centaur. She soon lost consciousness. 

* * *

When Theryn came to, she was bound hand, foot, and spell in a dark chamber. She tried to cast a spell that would reveal her location, but the slap of a switch silenced her. 

"Where am I?" she demanded, her infra-vision picking up several forms. "Why have you bound me?" 

"Your heinous spell caused the death of fourteen people and the injury of twenty, four seriously," tallied a woman's voice. 

The dark elf tried to identify the speaker, but did not once attempt to break her bonds. "The spell only killed eight directly. The rest were killed or injured in the attempt to get away. If they had vacated the square in a calm and orderly fashion, no one would have gotten hurt." 

Theryn looked directly at him and said quietly but fiercely, "Who are you to judge who is innocent and who is not?"

"We make the laws in Wilderplane!" replied a centaur in the back. 

"Show me the list of spells you have deemed illegal," Theryn suggested. "Is Theryn's Rain of Stones on that list? Was the spell I cast officially illegal?" 

The gathered lawgivers were silent. "Find the banned spells list," ordered a female voice, the first speaker. One of the others left. "We will see if this spell of yours if indeed illegal. If not, we will add it to the list." 

"It is an extremely destructive spell," added the centaur. "Such a casting should not be permitted within the Civilized Realms, especially not inside a town. I can understand if you had been attacked by a band of goblin raiders, but this behavior is completely uncalled for." 

"I'm a dark elf," she told them. "I'm supposed to be evil." 

"No excuse," announced the dwarf. 

"And why is it so fewkin dark in here?" Theryn complained. "Unless you all have night vision or infra-vision, some of you can't see a thing in here." 

The woman sighed and muttered a spell. A light appeared above her head. She turned out to be a high elf with stunning golden-red hair. She had one amber eye and one blue eye. The human who had left earlier returned with a scroll. The high elf scanned the list and, apparently not finding what she was looking for, returned her gaze to Theryn. 

"Your spell is not on the list," she told the drow. 

"It's a new spell." 

She conferred briefly with the other lawgivers. "We have decided to give you a choice on the matter. One: Leave Wilderplane and spend the rest of your life in the Valley of Doom and beyond. Two: Spend twenty years of exile in the wilderness and vow never again to cast Rain of Stones." 

"What are my other options?" asked Theryn skeptically. 

"Bring in the boy," the high elf ordered. The door opened again, admitting a small dark elf boy, whose age translated to about ten years in human reckoning. "Three: Raise Rasan Chasmstalker Ebonmaster." 

"The boy? Sure, I'd raise him, but--" 

Suddenly, one of the lawgivers spoke a word of magic, and her chains vanished as if they had never been. "Your agreement has set you free," rumbled a male centaur. 

"His parents, Gauras Deatheye Chasmstalker, and Halstanos Ebonmaster Nightking, were both killed because of your spell," the high elf woman informed her. "It is now your responsibility to take care of young Rasan for the sixty-seven years he will grow until adulthood. He is your kind, after all." 

Theryn bowed her head to the elven woman, who was clearly of high status here. "I will raise the boy as I would my own son. You have my word on that." 

"Yet I cannot help but wonder what the word of a dark elf is worth," muttered the dwarf, though Theryn did not fail to hear. 

"Are you planning on staying in Seacliffs or moving on to the Central Realms?" asked the high elf, almost conversationally. 

"I just arrived in Wilderplane yesterday or so," she told her. "I know nothing about the geography or the Realms, except the names Seacliffs and Jentcar. I had planned to explore the plane at my leisure." 

"I hope that having someone to be responsible for will cause you to think over what you do and its consequences before you take action," the high elf said ruefully. 

"Are we letting her go, Telstayn?" asked the dwarf. 

"We are," she told him. "My name is Telstayn Soulbright Goldfire. What is yours?" 

"Theryn Valeranger Shadowhand," the drow replied, disgusted inwardly at the formality of using her middle name. 

"You created Rain of Stones?" exclaimed the dwarf. "Barbaric! Telstayn, is this the kind of person we want roaming free in the Civilized Realms? I cannot abide by that." 

"What do you propose we do then, Darroch?" asked the high elf calmly. 

"Send her through a Portal," he suggested. "Get her away from this civilized world altogether. Or send her to the Valley of Doom. There she can destroy things all she wants." 

"Theryn here was ignorant to our laws," Telstayn pointed out. 

"She's a barbarian! No matter how ignorant she was, that is no excuse for murdering innocent people," Darroch insisted. 

"I say we vote. Who is in favor of sending Theryn Valeranger Shadowhand through a Portal?" 

All but Telstayn and two others raised their hands at this. Once they had learned Theryn was the creator of Rain of Stones, they held no pity or mercy for her. 

"I must bow to the majority," Telstayn sighed. "Go out and find the nearest Portal. I will take no part in her exile from Wilderplane. Rasan will be teleported to Hellendrill, where some dark elven family can adopt him." 

"I never liked your world anyway," snarled Theryn. "Everything interesting is illegal! Good riddance to the lot of you." 

It was recorded in the Seacliffs records that Theryn Shadowhand willingly--some say eagerly--leapt through a Portal just east of Ergo's farm, effectively ridding Wilderplane of that particular problem, and ridding Theryn of the world of Wilderplane.


	2. And Then There Were Penguins

Upon stepping through the portal, Theryn landed upon a frigid tundra, icy winds cutting into her fair skin. She needed no convincing that this was another world. Her light clothing, more than suitable for the temperate climate of Wilderplane, was insufficient for the frozen landscape. Shivering from cold, she looked around the chilly plain for any sign of shelter. In the distance, she spotted what appeared to be lines of smoke on the horizon, and headed toward it quickly, her hands rubbing against her arms.

Theryn, barely conscious, stumbled toward the town, but collapsed within sight of the gates. From the walls, guards clad in thick furs spotted her. 

"There's somebody out on the tundra. Looks exhausted," one of them says to the other. "Let's go bring her inside." 

The other guard grabbed an extra fur cloak and followed him out onto the plain, wrapping it around the semi-conscious elven woman. "It's a snow elf, Jad. Maybe she's sick." 

"Yeah," the other, Jad, said, helping to carry her inside. "I'll go find a healer." 

Theryn was taken inside next to a fire and given a bowl of hot soup. A bit later, Jad returned, a human wearing thick white robes in tow. "Is this the one?" he asked the guard. 

Theryn blinked up at the healer, the soup's warmth working its way through her body, dispelling the deadly chill. She began, "My name is Theryn--" 

"Yes, just relax, I'm a healer," the man interrupted. "Let me see what's wrong with you." 

The elven woman relaxed, allowing him to use his magic to probe her, assuming that he was here to heal the cold she had suffered from. The healer frowned as his diagnosis was completeed. 

"Odd. So far as I can tell, you suffered from nothing more than exposure to cold." He scratched his chin in confusion. "But snow elves are supposed to be immune to great cold." 

"But I'm not a--" 

"No, no, don't worry," he didn't let her finish again. "We've probably heard wrong. Nobody's seen a snow elf around Hynel in a hundred years." 

"I--" 

"Now, see to it that she gets plenty of rest and warm food and clothing, and she'll be fully recovered in no time," the healer instructed the guards. 

Theryn sputtered in confusion, then settled on, "Thank--" 

"You're most very welcome, child. I'm just doing my job. I'll be off now." The robed man bowed and glided out of the room. 

"More soup?" the second guard said amicably. 

Theryn blinked for a moment. "Oh. Yes. Please." She still wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. 

Jad went back out on watch. The other guard spoke to her, "My name is Arin. My partner is Jad. What were you doing out on the South Plains nearly naked?" 

Theryn takes another spoonful of soup. "Well, if your healer had let me explain, I'd have told you. I'm not really a snow elf, and I wasn't exactly expecting to get dropped in the middle of an icefield. I went through a portal." 

"If you aren't a snow elf, then what are you? And what's a portal?" 

Mentally muttering about uneducated humans, Theryn continued. "I'm a drow. And a portal is a magical construction that instantly takes you from one place to another. This particular one was unstable, and I had no way of knowing where I ended up. That help any?" 

Arin seemed a bit confused. "I think so. There aren't many mages around Hynel. I'm still not sure what a drow is. Is it some sort of elf from a warmer place?" 

"You could say that," Theryn bit her lower lip. 

"Okay. You'd better wear heavier clothing around here, or you could freeze to death." 

"I think I'd already figured that out," she winked. "This town is called Hynel?" 

"Yeah. It's the main human settlement in southern Sasherey." 

"Do you know where these snow elves live?" Theryn ventured to ask him. 

Arin thought for a moment. "Well, off to the north, I've heard. Legend has it that there's a great city there called Aysia or Aymia or something. If you wanted to get there, it's a long journey to travel alone. The South Plains aren't a friendly place for unwary travellers." 

"Well, I was hoping my fellow elves could help me, even if they're a different sort of elf," Theryn mused. 

The guard frowned. "If you're going out anyway, you should go with the hunting group that's leaving tomorrow. That'll at least keep you safe a bit of the way." 

"Very well," the drow woman nodded, silently thinking that she'd be more likely to be protecting them, than the other way around. "Where should I sleep?" 

"We've got some extra cots in the women's barracks," Arin offered. "Off down the second hallway." 

"Thank you," she bowed her head slightly to him, and departed for some much-needed sleep. 

* * *

The next morning, Theryn headed out with the hunters, wearing thick furs like them wrapped around her body to keep herself warm. Even so, she still shivered a bit. One of the older hunters grumbled a bit, saying that she'd be a liability, and barked at her to keep up with the group. However, a couple of the younger ones, having never seen an elf before, stared at her in wonderment. Her silvery hair glimmered like ice in the morning sunlight. 

The hunting party caught a couple snowshoe hares along the way, but was still searching for larger game to feed the town. What they found as they ventured northward wasn't quite what they had in mind. Hunched over the carcass of a large moose, was an enormous serpentine creature, with scales white as newly fallen snow. When it spotted the hunters, it let out a shriek, lunging at them with blood-stained claws. 

The hunters screamed, a couple of them scattering into the tundra, but most of them tried to attack the dragon futily with their spears and bows. Instinctively, Theryn grabbed a rock the size of her fist off the ground, and began chanting the words to Rain of Stones. The humans, assuming she was casting some sort of spell to help them, redoubled their efforts to keep the dragon off the mage while she cast it. 

The spell completed faster than it should have, and had highly unexpected results. Rather than pummeling the dragon with fist-sized rocks, as it should have, it pelted it with a storm of sharp rocks. The dragon was barely affected, but the humans surrounding it trying to fight it were slashed bloodily, many of them falling in several pieces to the ground. The remaining hunters screamed and ran off, leaving Theryn standing alone with the dragon. 

The white dragon, ignoring Theryn, returned to the moose corpse and resumed its meal. The drow, rather confused, stepped around the human bodies and approached cautiously. 

"Oh, you're still here," the dragon spoke between bites, in a deep voice like a winter gale. "I must thank you for ridding me of those pesky humans. They'll provide a nice meal for my hatchlings. I suppose you'll be wanting something in return, though." 

"Couldn't you have just killed them yourself?" Theryn wondered in confusion. 

"Oh, naturally, but they're so irritating, coming to steal my food. Anyway, what would you like, elf?" 

Theryn mentally shrugged, figuring that she wouldn't make a very good meal anyway. "I wish to travel to the city of snow elves north of here." 

"Aymiaysia?" the dragon grunted, gulping down another mouthful of meat. "That's quite a ways from here, but I can understand wanting to be away from these humans. I'll take you there, once I deliver that meat to my lair." 

Theryn helpfully loaded the human cadavers, already half-frozen, onto the back of the white dragon, and climbs up herself onto its neck. "What are you called?" she asked as they took off into the frigid air, tightening her furs about her body. 

"I am called Rime," the dragon replied. 

"You mentioned hatchlings. How many of them? How old are they?" she asked curiously. 

Rime chuckled. "I and my mate Snowflake have a clutch of six fine two-month-old hatchlings," he announced proudly. 

"Well, congratulations to you and Snowflake," Theryn grinned. 

The dragon gave a toothy smile. After a while, he circled down over a cave entrance, landing inside. A smaller white dragon, Snowflake presumably, was inside, curled up around a half dozen adorable baby dragons. Theryn helped unload the bodies for the hatchlings. 

"I've agreed to take this elf to Aymiaysia," he told Snowflake. "I shall bring more food when I return." 

"Swift journey, Rime," his mate told him, and again elf and dragon departed into the frigid skies. 

"'Tis a lovely evening, isn't it," Rime cried into the white sky. 

"Yes," Theryn said uncertainly, staring at the barren, desolate landscape below. "I suppose it is." 

"You aren't from around here, are you," the dragon chuckled. "You have the hair of a snow elf, yet you wear furs like a human." 

"No, I'm from somewhere much warmer," she replied. 

"Trying to get back home?" he asked. "Or at least somewhere warmer? Well, the elves of Aymiaysia are your best bet, then, for sure. They've got wizards there that could teleport you somewhere." 

"Yeah," Theryn murmured. "Wizards..." 

Rime flew on well into the night and the next morning, Theryn lightly dozing upon his back. He landed in late morning, setting down on a cliff overlooking the city. "You can wake up now, elf. We're here." 

Theryn blinked, waking up, confused for a moment, "Wha--? Oh..." She slid down off the dragon's back. "Thank you, Rime." 

"You can find a staircase leading down into the city over there," Rime nodded a bit along the cliff. "Take care, little one." 

The drow bowed to the dragon as he flew off into the morning skies, watching him leave and become a speck in the distance before turning to find the staircase down the icy cliff. 

* * *

The long staircase cut into the ice of the cliff led down into the snow elven city of Aymiaysia. Although the wind on top of the cliff was bitter cold, the wall itself somewhat shielded her now from it. She could see why they'd build a city here. 

The snow elves looked oddly at her furs, but greeted her in elven, if a somewhat strange dialect of it. 

"Greetings, young elf, and welcome to the city of Aymiaysia," said a tall snow elf, an older male with long silver hair. Although elves did not age the same as humans, it was still easy for any elf to tell how old another elf was by their stature and demeanor. 

Theryn bowed her head to him, and spoke, "Greetings. My name is Theryn." 

"My name is Nentenir Boreal," he replied. "I must ask, but why do you wear filthy furs like some barbarian human?" 

"I am from another world," she told him. "You may enjoy the ice and cold, but it bites my skin and causes me pain." 

Nentenir frowned a bit at this. "Very well. You may come to the city hall, if you wish. It's the warmest building in town, to accommodate visitors." 

"Thank you," Theryn murmured, following him toward a large building near the center of town. 

"You seem not to like Sasherey all that much," he commented. "Would you be coming here seeking a way to leave this world?" 

"Yes," she answered. "No offense." 

"None taken. The Plane of Neverending Winter isn't for everyone." 

"You mean it's always cold here?" Theryn wondered. 

"All year round, on every part of the plane," Nentenir told her. "Some more than others, however. I've heard rumor of a hot springs somewhere in the east, for instance. But for the most part, it's always cold. Just how we snow elves like it." 

They arrived at the city hall. It was warmed by several large fireplaces, flickering and crackling merrily. Theryn went over toward one to warm her hands. "So, by what you say, there is a way to get me off Sasherey, then?" 

"Yes indeed," Nentenir replied cheerfully. "We have a guild of wizards in Aymiaysia, and one of their specialties is transportation. You aren't the first to come here and want passage off the Plane of Ice." 

"What will it cost?" Theryn asked uncertainly, her hands and body being pleasantly warmed by the fire. 

"Unless you've been here longer than you appear to have been, I doubt you'd have any of our currency." He pulled out a handful of small white, pink, and yellow crystals, cut into cubes all the same size. 

"No, I don't," she said, staring at the strange crystals that passed for money. The snow elf pocketed the cubes again. 

Nentenir started to say something again, but was interrupted. There was a commotion from outside, and sounds of shouting and screams. Nentenir rushed outside, Theryn following him. As they rushed through the streets, they saw snow elven guards fighting off a horde of strange black and white creatures. Instinctively, Theryn searched around for a rock. Finding nothing more than a pebble, she cast the spell anyway. 

Again, the spell completed faster than it was supposed to, and she noticed that this time and the last, she was not completely exhausted from the casting. Small, sharp bits of rock slashed down over the horde of animals, cutting easily into their unarmored bodies and leaving most of them dead. The few rocks that struck the guards were repelled by their helmets and armor. 

The guards slew the few surviving monsters, Nentenir staring at Theryn in something of a mix of awe and horror. "You--you're a wizard?" 

"Yes," Theryn nodded. 

The captain of the guards approached her and said, "We sincerely thank you for your assistance in defeating the killer penguins, Miss. If there's anything we could do to repay you, you have only to ask." 

"All I want," she sighed, "is to be off this world." 

"I can arrange that," Nentenir smiled. 

Although part of Theryn wanted to spend some time talking to the wizards of Aymiaysia, most of her wanted to get off this ice sheet, and the logical part of her said she could find mages anywhere anyway. So she agreed to be teleported off the plane at the wizards' soonest possible convinience. 

"We can most easily send you to Khiszalr or Corstad," one of the wizards told her. "Where would you like to go?" 

"Corstad," she answered, since it was easier to pronounce. 

"Very well," he said. "Step into the circle and just relax, this will only take a few minutes." 

Theryn stepped into the center of the circle of wizards, and closed her eyes, eager to be anywhere warmer. After a few moments of chanting, she felt tingling magic surround her, and when the chanting stopped, she opened her eyes, and she was somewhere else. 


	3. Would You Like Fries With That?

Theryn did not at all expect what she found on Corstad. She had landed in the middle of what appeared to be an enormous city. People of every conceivable race and then some milled about wearing strange clothing. In some sort of square or plaza, Theryn's sudden appearance didn't seem to have been noticed by the denizens. Deciding to move off to a quieter place, Theryn headed toward the edge of the plaza to take refuge in an alleyway.

It was much quieter here, and somewhat dark. Even though her eyes weren't as sensitive to light as most drow, she still prefered the dark. As she ventured down the narrow alley, however, she spotted a the warm red outline of a figure moving in the shadows with her infravision. Alert but not making any hostile moves, she watched as the figure approached. 

It was a young human male, who attacked her in the shadows, thinking she hadn't seen him. But Theryn caught him with a sharp elbow to the gut, then smacked him in the face with her palm. He collapsed onto the pavement. 

"That's what you get," she muttered down at the human who hadn't even taken magic to fell. Idly, she searched his belongings for anything she might find useful, but all she found was a strange rectangular card. "What is this thing?" She shrugged, pocketing it anyway, and moving on before the local authoritied decided to arrest her for something. 

Heading back out into the square, she quickly vanished into the crowd, earning only a few odd looks due to her furs. Thinking it was about time to get rid of them, she pushed through a glass door and found herself in a large building, with what appeared to be shops lining the corridors. Figuring that she might be able to sell it for a bit of local currency, she scanned the hallways for a clothing shop. Locating what appeared to be one, Theryn stepped inside. 

"What?" said the elvish woman at the counter indignantly when Theryn tried to sell her the furs. "I don't want that filthy thing! We're a high-class establishment, not a pawnshop." 

"Well, perhaps you could point me to a pawnshop, then," Theryn smirked. 

"I'm not a map either," the woman sighed. "But whatever." She gave Theryn brief, vague directions for reaching the pawnshop, wishing her to be gone as soon as possible. 

"Thank you," Theryn gave an acidic smile, and strode out of the store and down the stairs. After several wrong turns, she finally located a room marked by a vague sign that she assumed was the pawnshop. 

"Welcome, miss," a friendy man greeted her. "Would you be buying or selling today?" 

"Selling," she told him, placing the furs before him. "What can you give me for these?" 

The young man examined them with a good deal less distaste than the elven woman upstairs had displayed. "Hmm," he pondered. "Fine, warm fur, cleaned up a bit these would be nice winter wear. I'll give you thirty credits for the set." He reached out his hand. Theryn looked at him in confusion, wondering what he wanted. "Your card, miss. I'll zap it straight onto your card." 

"Oh," Theryn said, quickly covering herself, remembering the card she had picked up off the mugger. Pulling it out of her pocket, she handed it to the human. 

The male human pushed it into some sort of machine, punched a couple buttons, then pulled it out and handed it back to her. "That brings your credit total up to two hundred and sixty. Have a nice day, miss." 

The drow took the card in confusion and pocketed it again, not bothering to ask whether that was a lot of money or not, and bowed slightly to him as she headed out into the corridors again. Not particularly hungry yet, having eaten on Sasherey, she decided to explore her new surroundings and locate safe lodgings. Her last night's sleep on dragonback wasn't overly comfortable, and she could use a rest. 

After several laps around the mall, she was unable to locate anyplace that appeared to be an inn, so she decided to head outside again and try her luck on the streets. Much to her pleasure, there were a couple motels not far from the mall. One was extremely fancy and offered rooms for fifty credits a night. The other looked shabby and run down, but its rooms were only ten credits a night. Not knowing how long she would have to stay here, or how long her credits would last, Theryn decided to book a room at the cheaper motel. 

Checking into her room, she found it to be small and shabby, but reasonably clean and vermin-free. It didn't smell all that bad either. She had slept in worse places before. With a weary sigh, Theryn collapsed on the bed and was asleep immediately. 

* * *

Several hours later, Theryn woke. It was dark outside, and that suited her just fine. This wasn't such a bad place, she decided. It just took a bit of getting used to. Heading back to the mall, she decided to get a bite to eat. There was a plaza inside the mall lined with restaurants offering many types of food. Not entirely sure what was good and what wasn't, she stepped into an establishment with the glowing sign "MacDragaard's" over the doorway. 

As she stood in line, she examined the glowing menu over the counter. It displayed various meals and prices, and also had handy pictures of some of them. 

Upon reaching the end of the line, a young half-elf wearing a strange hat asked her, "Welcome to MacDragaard's. How many I help you?" 

"I would like a burjer and a cola," Theryn said, carefully enunciating each word to make sure she understood. 

"You mean a burger?" the half-elven woman raised an eyebrow. 

"Er, yes, sorry," the drow muttered. 

The woman in the hat punched a few buttons, then asked, "Would you like fries with that?" 

"Sure," Theryn replied. 

"That will be fifteen credits." Theryn handed her the plastic card, and the half-elf shoved it in a machine and punched a button, then handed it back to her. "That brings you down to two hundred and thirty-five credits. You can pick up your meal at the end of the counter. Have a nice day!" 

Theryn pocketed her credit card again and bowed slightly to the half-elf, earning a couple odd looks from people standing in line, then moved down to the end of the counter where there was a tray waiting with her burger, fries, and cola. Taking up the tray, she went and found an unoccupied table, and sat down to eat. The food was pretty tasty and filling, but afterward she felt rather sick and had to make a trip to the nearest restroom. 

"I suppose this isn't such a bad place," Theryn mused. "Although the food isn't particularly friendly. But I'll need to find some way to replenish my currency shortly." 

Briefly considering just running around beating up more innocent people, she decided against it and headed out of the mall. She didn't really want to get a job as a cashier in one of the shops in the mall. It was rather boring to stand in one place for hours on end, and a complete waste of her talents. 

Fortunately, the answer to her problems was located not far from the entrance to the mall. A glowing sign read, "Corstad Police", and below it, a sign was hanging in the window. "Now Hiring Deputies. Must have combat experience. Take test inside!" 

"Hmm, that sounds good. I'll give it a shot," Theryn mumbled as she pushed inside the glass door to the police department. 

There was a short line of about half a dozen assorted people of different races in the waiting room. They were lined up behind a door with a sign that said, "Start Deputy Test Line Here." Theryn shrugged and got in line. 

Every once in a while, a rather beaten up person staggered out of the door and a voice inside shouted "Next!" The people in line in front of her got increasingly nervous, except for one tall half-ogre with a scar across his face. Then, the half-ogre went inside and didn't come back out again. The door opened after a few minutes and said, "Who's next?" 

Theryn stepped inside. She spotted the half-ogre off toward the side trying to find a police uniform that would fit him. There was an agile and muscular officer in the center of a mat. "You sure you want to take the test? You look a little ... weak," he sneered at her. 

"I do," Theryn said stubbornly, her eyes narrowing at his insult. 

"As you wish. The test is in unarmed combat. We are not liable for any injury that results from this test. Prepare yourself and step onto the mat when you are ready to begin." 

The drow woman stepped confidently onto the mat, her silk outfit flowing around her comfortably. "Whenever you are," she said, taking up a defensive posture. 

"If you insist. I don't really want to hurt you, lady, you're quite pretty. Let's get this over with." The human charged at her, and quicker than thought, she stepped aside, grabbed his arm, and flung him by his own momentum into the wall. 

"Come now, sir, I'm sure you can do better than that," Theryn smirked. 

"You're hired," the man gasped, opening the door and saying, "No more applicants. You folks can go home now." A few disappointed people still standing in line emptied out of the police department. 

Meanwhile, the half-ogre had found a very large uniform that fit him and walked over to them. "She be me partner?" he asked. 

"She will," the human said, "Let's just go over here and get some more information about you two. Lady, go over into the next room and find a uniform that fits you. We've got some ladies uniforms in there." 

"Alright," Theryn said, heading over to the specified room. After finding a uniform that fit her nicely, even though she wasn't so comfortable in it as she was in her usual silks, she went out into the other room again. 

"Okay, thank you, Hank," the officer said. "Just wait here a minute while I get some information on your partner." 

He went over to Theryn, pen and clipboard in hand. She asked, "What sort of information do you need?" 

"Nothing much," the man said. "Full name?" 

"Theryn Valeranger Shadowhand," she replied, grimacing slightly at her middle name. 

"Place of birth?" he asked. 

"Chasm's Edge, Drowland, Doomreign," Theryn smirked, wondering silently if he even knew where any of those were. 

"Uh, right," the human male mumbled, scratching down the names anyway. "Next of kin?" 

"Don't have any," she grunted. 

"Alright," he said, "Could you sign this, then?" 

He handed her the clipboard, pointing to a line near the bottom. Peering at the fine print, she read aloud, "By signing this agreement, I, the undersigned, hereby bequeath all my worldly possessions to the Corstad Police Department, upon the event of my untimely death." 

"You aren't supposed to read it," the human smirked. 

"Whatever," she mumbled, scribbing her name on the line. "I don't exactly plan on dying anytime soon anyway." She handed the clipboard back to him. 


End file.
